Review: Best Kept Secret- Jeffrey Archer

Anyone can be a good winner. The sign of a great man is how you handle defeat.

The third instalment of the Clifton Chronicles turns out to be as mesmerising as promised, with a flawlessly written story and enchanting characters coupled with a killer cliffhanger for an ending.

The book begins directly where Sins of The Father left out, with the House of Lords stuck in a tie as to who should inherit the Barrington fortune. (Archer seems to love tied voting situations. Reminds me of the epic square off in the Sons of Fortune and the hung jury in A Prisoner of Birth.) After a startling decision by the Lord Chancellor, Harry returns to America to try to earn a spot in the top 15 of the bestseller list, while Emma departs to search for the little girl found in Hugo's office the night he was killed. Giles returns to contest for a seat as an MP of Bristol Docklands and young Sebastian returns to school in hopes of earning a scholarship to Cambridge. But then, when do things go as planned? Sebastian is rusticated from school for his...ahem...'indiscretions'....

'He was caught drinking in his study with a serving maid.'

And that was considered worthy of rustication?'

I might have turned a blind eye, as it was last week of the term, but unfortunately neither of them had any clothes on.'

.....and he unwittingly becomes embroiled in an international art fraud. The book ends with a damning cliffy which would ultimately decide the fate of the Cliftons.

The book kept me on an edge from start to finish and at times had me marvelling at Archer's ingenuousness. 

Plot?

Best I have read in a while. Carefully thought out and perfectly executed with high doses of suspense and drama that kept me hooked on till the end.

*spoiler*  pg 123- Elizabeth Barrington was one formidably lady, a force to be reckoned with. For readers who don't know any more Latin than Occultus Regere (like me), Elizabeth wanted the judge to know she was in her right mind when she made the second will. Compost Mentis is the anagram of Common pests I which literally means in my right mind. Only Archer could have thought of that little bit of genius.

Characterisation?

Awesome as always. I particularly liked Sebastian- rebellious but not arrogant, definitely not family disowning or prejudiced, loyal and intelligent, quite a charmer. Giles married a cunt though- Lady Virginia was bitchiness redefined. Fischer also makes an interesting comeback to settle old scores. 

Writing Style?

Apt, to the point, distinctly British and quite flawless, as is characteristic of Jeffrey Archer.

Ending?

Had my jaws on the floor for several seconds before I bothered to pick it back up, read the page again and repeated the procedure. Definitely had me begging for more!

So, a gripping tale, filled with action, intrigue, drama and suspense earns a well deserved 4/5 rating! Highly recommended for thriller/mystery enthusiasts!

Review: Graffiti Moon- Cath Crowley

The way you dance definitely isn't stupid

I could maybe get used to the way you move

I'm not saying I've made up my mind

But you know, I almost, almost kind of like you

I wasn't too sure about this book after reading the synopsis as it appeared to be one of those books- the ones without story or substance. However, I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be one of the best YA novels I've read in a long time.

It's the end of year 12 and Lucy is looking for Shadow, the graffiti artist.

The guy who paints in the dark. Paints birds trapped on brick walls and people lost in ghost forests. Paints guys with grass growing from their hearts and girls with buzzing lawn mowers. 

Most of the city walls are decorated with his work and his friend's Poet's words, but they are nowhere to be found. After an unfortunate first encounter with love, Lucy thinks that Shadow is the guy for her. Ed, the last boy she wants in her sights tells her that he might help her locate the man of her dreams. As the night progresses Ed shows her Shadows works- most of them echoing escape and heartache. A roller-coaster night that skips from wild parties in clubs to the hidden parts of the city might just help Lucy find what she's looking for.

Great dialogue, excellent poetry and deep and real characters make the story a winner. The story reads easily with the occasional bouts of hilarity, lots of angst and a subtle romance. Poet's efforts to put emotions on paper, Shadow's ability to reflect pain, loneliness and hopelessness in his drawings, Lucy's determination to locate the tortured graffiti artist and a simple story written in an amazing manner earns it a 4/5 rating! 

Review: Heist Society- Ally Carter

Thieves aren't supposed to want too much--which is ironic, but true. Never live anyplace you can't walk away from. Never own anything you can't leave behind. 

The book came along with some glowing recommendations from reliable reviewers and I finally decided to give it a try. And to say the least, I was quite impressed with the entire setting of the book. A family of brilliant conmen/women- ranging from pickpockets to Mona Lisa forgers to people involved in billion dollar art heists, a band of ingenuous teenagers on the loose, trying to rob the most secure museum in the world and a dangerous money hungry criminal who's threatening to ruin everything....

Need I say more?

Katerina Bishop had decided to take a break from 'family business' and had enrolled in Colgan Boarding School. But then thieves aren't meant to have uneventful lives. Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape from. And with good reason too- a powerful mobster has been robbed off of five priceless paintings and wants to retrieve them. The suspect list has just one name on it- Kat's father. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Bobby Bishop is in need of help. 

But how does Kat go about returning paintings that he had never stolen? 

There is but one solution- to track down the real thief and steal them back. But infiltrating one of the most secure places on the planet has to be more than a little difficult. But with a talented teenage crew, oodles of determination and just a pinch of insanity, Kat might just be able to pull off the the biggest heist in family history.

The writing style of the book was quite cool with the readers getting an intriguing insight into the lives of Kat and her family.

Kat used to love Paris. She remembered being there with her parents--eating croissants, visiting a pyramid, and carrying six red balloons. It wasn't until years later that she realized it hadn't been a fun family outing--that actually they'd been casing the Louvre at the time.

"And your father?" he asked, unwilling to let a conveniently deceased mother swing any sympathy votes Kat's way. "What does he do?"
"Art," Kat said simply, carefully. "He does a lot of things, but he specializes in art."
At this, the head of the fine arts department perked up. "Collecting?" the man asked.

Again Kat had to fight back a smile. "More like ... distribution." 

Kat's character was made headstrong and brave. She is independent and stubborn, unafraid to undertake an impossible task and take it to completion. W.W Hale the fifth, or just Hale as he is commonly known, is the multibillionaire heir who enjoys the occasional heist. Abandoned by negligent parents and having a loaded bank account allows him some very convenient liberties.

I'm at the Knightsbury Institute now."
"I've never heard of it."
"My father got a letter just last week telling him that I have become a model student."
"Congratulations," Kat said, doubting it.
"Yeah, well, I'm the only student." He grinned a very Hale-like grin. "Of course, the downside of attending a fictional school is that our lacrosse team sucks. 

The rest of the heist society consists of a gadget junkie on his way to becoming Einstein No.2, an electrifying beauty on the prowl, two brothers blacklisted for stealing from a nun and a pickpocket newbie with a British accent and a charming smile.

The story was riveting, full of twists and turns. It was interesting to see how Kat and her friends manoeuvred their way across impossible situations, found loopholes in the security system of one of the safest museums in the world and succeeded in playing Mr Bad Guy at his own game. The story will remind you of Neal Caffrey and Mozzie of White Collar (imagine their teenage versions) and the witty writing style and unique concept brings back memories of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts heist of 1972. Fast, fun and full of intrigue.

4/5 stars!